R.A.D. Systems was created in 1989 by Larry Nadeau. Since that time R.A.D. has trained over 250,000 women. R.A.D. is the only self-defense program ever endorsed by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA).  The national standard in self-defense Instructor Certification, R.A.D. is internationally recognized for programming quality and organizational commitment to excellence. R.A.D. Systems balances the needs of women to acquire self defense education in a relatively short period of time, with the life long commitment required for physical skill mastery, by providing short-term training opportunities in a progressive building block format, and combining each with R.A.D.'s trademark "Lifetime Return and Practice Policy". R.A.D. Basic Personal Defense Program is a 12-hour program that stresses risk awareness/avoidance and personal decision-making. The physical techniques taught are based on most frequent attack scenarios and the utilization of gross muscle movement. The physical techniques are presented as options rather than specific responses to specific attacks. Not all techniques will work in all situations and R.A.D. strives to provide a woman with multiple options to choose from should she be attacked.

Click for R.A.D. schedule Email Allendale Campus Instructor Bruce Morningstar Email Allendale Campus Instructor Nate Dornbos Email Pew Campus Instructor  Kari Balcom

Although physical techniques are important if an attack occurs, 90% of self-defense education is risk awareness, risk avoidance, risk recognition and risk reduction. There is a lecture component to the course that educates women on ways they may reduce their risk of an attack and possibly avoid an attack completely. It is hoped that this combination of physical techniques and risk education will give all students a feeling of more control and confidence in their daily lives and provide them with effective options if an attack does occur.  R.A.D. training is suitable for all women, regardless of their level of physical fitness or other training. R.A.D. is not a martial arts program, nor does it teach fighting. The R.A.D. Basic Personal Defense program has been successfully taught to students as young as 12 years and as old as 70.

One thing that RAD has to offer that most women's self-defense programs do not is the simulation training exercise, where students are given a chance to employ their techniques against trained and padded attackers in an exercise designed to emulate the stress and pressure of an attack.  The best feature of the RAD program is the free lifetime return and practice policy. Once a woman completes a course, she is entitled to return to any RAD program, regardless of location, to go through the course again at no charge. RAD is the only existing program with this policy. We encourage our students to review their skills by attending class about once a year.